I try to put the effort in to be pretty, even though we live in a “farmhouse” (aka, it’s dusty, and the lighting is poor) and I wear gumboots and I rarely see anyone on a given day.

Except the cockerel . . . and he doesn’t seem to care what I look like.

It is hard, I have always found it hard.

I am not the girl that spends hours in the salon getting her roots done, or buffing her feet in time for spring.  I do regular maintenance as required, and every now and then the kids will convince me to paint my toenails!

You know – for fun?

But, I am getting older. And as I get older I am battling a strange melting pot of fine lines, acne and sun spots. I never know on a given day if I will be dry or greasy, and as my hormones fight against time, so it seems does my natural beauty.

And “natural beauty” is the key word here. I want to have great skin, and look like me (and feel like me), even if I am wearing product!

And I never was one for investing in product.  .  but now it doesn’t seem to be as much of an investment, as a requirement.

Like my hubby’s expectation that I not wear my bathrobe around the house.

He notices the “not good’ days far more often now.

One day he actually asked if I could “brush myself up a little bit” maybe just make an effort.

The problem?

With 3 kids, 1 bathroom and an easily accessible “mommy bag of goodies” my products are limited, and frequently wasted on little feet and faces. And with little access to the right products (you know, the ones for women “our age” with the “extra benefits” and “thicker coat”) it all gets a little frustrating.

But enough. I am committing.

With the new online shop Murale by Shoppers Drug Mart I can order my products online. (And yes, they have the “good” stuff) I can even pre-set my products to be re-ordered and delivered so I have zero excuse this time!  And, if I spend over $125 on products (between Apr 8th & 21st) I get a FREE tote filled with samples (worth over $315).  That is a lot of samples, and honestly, in this house, sometimes it is the free samples that get me through to the next order when the kids break into my face cream!

 And for optimum points card holders, inside the tote you will find another coupon for 20,000 bonus points when you spend $125 or more at Murale on featured regular-sized Fab & Free products. (Offer valid in-store from April 22 to May 19, 2013 only)

Click for more details on this offer!

And tell me – are you finding these products more necessary now that we are “past the bloom” of youth? Are you too spending a little more time fixing yourself up? Do tell, comment below- cause trust me, it WILL make me feel better!

*Yes, this is a sponsored post, and I have been compensated to build this fabulous post that details my difficulties in finding time to balance my beauty with my life .. .  but, these are my words, and my story! enjoy, snoop, click and explore.